-Okay, I've come up with a new plan. My new idea is that the next chapter does not have to be done in order for me to post. It's a lot of writing, and can take a lot longer than it actually needs to be. And besides, if I have a good part of it typed out, I can give you that and then work further. Usually I type these up during class, and I can never get through a whole chapter in a small 50 minutes. But I can usually get a decent part out to give you enough of a preview of the next chapter.

So that is my new idea. It doesn't have to be done. There just has to be what I consider a good part typed up to give a glimpse of what's coming next.

What I've also come to realize is that musicals are usually divided up into two acts. So I decided the next chapter will be the end of Act I. I'll explain how that divides up at the end of this chapter, since I don't want to give anything away. I'll also give a short quip about what I'm up to lately, which can give you a heads-up as to when I'll be posting different scenes.

Disclaimer: Do not own Kingdom Hearts. Or Halestorm.-

"You're home early."

Roxas had just closed the door of his apartment that he shared with Namine. He jumped at the sound of her voice as his heart and mind raced, his sweaty palms slipping at the knob. Feeling his throat go dry, he quickly responded to his fiancé, trying to make it seem as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Sora didn't feel well. I decided to take him home. Y'know, since he's my brother and all."

"Roxas, are you alright?"

She could see right through him. No way would he ramble like that and explain himself when she thought it wasn't necessary. She took a few steps towards him, reaching a hand out to gently place on his shoulder, to show him that he had her support. But the second her hand was there Roxas tensed and shrugged her off.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

But he was anything but fine. That encounter with Axel had stirred memories that he had tried so hard to suppress and get rid of. Feelings that were almost five years old that he had never really done anything with had resurfaced and changed his life in less than a few hours.

Maybe this was a warning. Some higher power telling him that before he could actually marry Namine, he had to sort out all of this stuff from the past and put a definite end to all of it. After all, it wasn't fair to her for him to go into this lifelong relationship totally uncommitted and unsure. The wedding may be tomorrow, but that gave him plenty of time to work everything out. Plus, he was pretty sure that this was what he wanted.

"I'm going to bed," Roxas said, putting his shoes by the door and loosening his collar.

"Yeah, I was just getting ready to as well. Let's go."

They crossed the floor together, socks scratching against the hardwood floor, Namine following her soon-to-be husband as she flicked off the living room light. From the way he walked she couldn't help but think that perhaps something was up with Roxas. But she didn't want to say anything. From knowing him so long, it was easy to tell that he was dealing with something that he was intent on solving by himself. Yes, she wished with all of her heart that he would trust her enough to share this problem with her, but she also knew that he needed his space.

Closing the door, it didn't take long for the two to slip out of their clothes and into their sleepwear. Namine kept a close eye on him as he washed himself up, to see if she could see any sign towards his strange behavior, maybe to give her a hint to what exactly Roxas was going through. But she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary with the way he brushed his teeth or washed his face. "Maybe it really is nothing…"

"Goodnight, Roxas," she cooed before going to bed, turning over in bed to give him a kiss on the cheek. His back faced her, and as he felt her skin touch his he could feel his heart pang with guilt. Somehow he had a feeling that maybe this wasn't what he wanted. What if he did have to break her heart?

"Night."

Odd, Namine thought. There was usually a bit more than a one-syllable response.

"I love you."

And as she turned back over, Roxas couldn't find it in his heart to say it back because there was that small chance that it wasn't true.

As the night went on, Roxas found himself unable to sleep. With the wedding growing closer by the hour, he tossed and turned, felt his heart beating rapidly and the sweat rolling off his body. What was he doing? Was this really what he wanted?

Roxas slowly sat up, gently pushing the covers off to bundle around his wife-to-be. He looked over at her and smiled; that soft yellow hair and perfect white skin, her chest rising evenly as she slept. He couldn't help but smile. He really did have strong feelings for her. But at the same time, he was unsure.

That smile had faded as he let out a heavy sigh. This was just way too much for him. If it weren't for that encounter with Axel, what he could easily call his first love, then maybe he wouldn't be doubting himself.

But perhaps that was indeed what it was. Why he wasn't able to fully commit himself to Namine. He turned to sit on the edge of his bed, his feet resting on the floor, hands grabbing at the sheets in frustration. "I can't even think of one good reason why I'm always thinkin' 'bout leaving. It's not like everything's so horrible."

Roxas looked back at Namine and smiled again, gently reaching over to her and brushing a hand against her cheek. "We've been together for a few years now and you know all my ins and outs," but then he immediately drew his hand back, that faint smile once again turning itself upside down. "But everything's way too comfortable."

Yes, that was it. He was never able to go that far with her, and had thought that maybe if he married her then everything would fall into place. But it wasn't as simple as that. The truth of the matter, why it had been so hard to get over Axel, why it had haunted him for a good portion of his life, and why they were suddenly thrown together. He was still so madly in love with him, and it was fate that had brought them back together after so long. And this time, he wasn't going to run away from his feelings scared and fearful like he had before.

There was something out there that he truly wanted. Someone he was destined for. It wasn't Namine. It was Axel. And there was only one way that he could get out of this marriage with her.

"From the moment I wake I plan my escape. I'm not scared 'cause I know there's something out there waiting for me, and I swear that I'll find it someday just wait and see. I don't care that you call me crazy I can't stay 'cause I need room to breathe. There's nothing left to say. Better sorry than safe."

He got up, the floor cracking as he paced, back and forth, back and forth, trying to think of exactly how this was going to happen. How was he going to let Namine go? Sure, she wasn't the one for him, but that didn't mean he wanted to hurt her. I mean, she was crazy for him, and would be devastated.

Stopping his pacing, his focus went onto the sleeping blonde. She looked so peaceful, so unaware of what was going on. Namine had been so good to him. Could he really go through with something like this?

"Sometimes I wish you cheated on me," he told her sleeping body, staring, almost glaring at her, "then leaving here would be so easy. It's time to take a chance and give you up." Roxas turned away, not wanting to look at her. That would add to the shame he felt in betraying her.

There was another thing. He had these feelings of regret abandoning her, and he felt that maybe if he did wait until tomorrow that he wouldn't be able to go through with it. Then what? There would be a deeper regret for not following his true feelings, and he'd be forever trapped in a bind that he didn't want. Sure, it wouldn't be an unhappy marriage, but it wasn't what he truly wanted in life. So he came to this conclusion; he was leaving tonight.

First thing he had to do was get dressed. This was easy to accomplish, as he was already wearing a pair of boxers and male tank top to bed. His jeans and shirt had been thrown to the floor as soon as he had gotten home that evening, mind too distracted to really remember what exactly was happening in the here and now. He grabbed both from the floor and quickly threw them on, hopping around in a frenzy as he tried to get his legs into his pants. Keeping his balance, he was able to hoist them up his legs and onto his hips, and then threw on his shirt before moving any further.

Running over to the closet, he quickly yet quietly searched around for a suitcase, a reusable shopping bag, anything that could carry his needs to survive when he was out on his own. Scrambling and in a panic, knowing he was running out of time, that at any moment she might wake up, he hurriedly reached into the depths of darkness. His fingers grazed across scratchy material, familiar to the Velcro straps of a duffle bag. Hopefully, he pulled it out, thankful that his silent wish was true.

He gently threw it out of the closet and out into the open, the dark blue of the bag almost blending into the darkness. He then stood up and yanked a few sweatshirts and pullovers from their hangers, throwing them towards his duffle bag, some hitting it with a soft thud and sitting ever so still on top, a few straying from it and landing next to it on the floor.

"In the morning I'll wake and make my escape."

Roxas then went towards his dresser, taking one drawer and shakily pulling it out. "I'm not scared," he began randomly snatching clothes from various drawers, sure to put in just enough of each to get by on. He was sure it wouldn't take that long to find the redhead; after all, he still worked at that club, and if anything he could try to find his way back to his apartment, since he was vaguely familiar with where it was. Once his new life began, then he could work for some money to get more. "'cause I know there's something out there waiting for me."

When his clothes were all piled up and ready to go, he frantically began stuffing them in the duffle bag. Kneeling on the floor he just pushed them in, one after the other, knowing that he was running out of time. "And I swear that I'll find it someday just wait and see. I don't care that you call me crazy I can't stay 'cause I need room to breathe. There's nothing left to say. Better sorry that safe."

After the final pair of socks and t-shirt was stuffed into the bag, Roxas went back over to his nightstand to grab his wallet. His ID and the little money he had was really the only thing he actually needed. He grabbed at the leather and slipped it into his pocket. Senses acute and adrenaline rushing, he could feel the scratchiness of his jeans as he withdrew his hand, an old receipt clutched between his fingers. He would use this to scrawl down a small note for her, leaving it behind so she didn't mistake his leaving for her fault. After all, she was a smart girl; with the signs he'd been giving, she'd be able to figure it out easily.

A shiver running up his spine; he was ready to go, and his heart was beating wildly at this new sense of adventure.

Turning back he once again looked at Namine's sleeping figure, her body moving slightly as she breathed in and out. He really did love her, but not as much as he had initially thought. There was someone else in his life; someone he'd ignored for so long. But not anymore. Thus, he had to leave her.

"I'm not scared 'cause I know there's something out there waiting for me," he whispered to her, his final cry, hoping she would understand. His hand reached for her, his fingertips gently caressing her cheek. "and I swear that I'll find it someday just wait and see. I don't care that you call me crazy I can't stay 'cause I need room to breathe. There's nothing left to say; better sorry than safe."

Withdrawing his hand, he grabbed the duffel bag off the floor, his feet slowly moving away from her. His back to her, he was ready to step out the door to the room they shared; the last time he would see this place. "There's nothing left to say."

And with that, Roxas crossed the threshold and into the apartment, where he courageous strides led him out the door and into the night.

TBC

Alright, so I posted in my notes at the beginning I'd explain why it'd divide into acts the way I put it in. Roxas has just run away. There will be one more chapter that focuses on how his actions affect others. Act I could be referred to as Pre-Running Away, since the other characters don't know about it until the next chapter. Whereas Act II could be referred to as Pro-Roxas Running Away.

Alright then. How about a preview of the next scene?

That was the next place she had decided to search, but as she crossed the bedroom to head out and into the other rooms of their apartment, she felt a paper crunching beneath her feet. At first she shrugged it off, picking it up and glancing at it for merely a second, fully intent on setting it down and then returning to the task at hand. But then, the small words scribbled on what she noticed was the back of a receipt made her look twice, and nearly devastated her when she was able to take in the words so hurriedly scribbled down.

"I'm Sorry. –Roxas"

Namine felt like she couldn't breathe. Her heart was caught in her throat as she tried to comprehend what those words meant, trying to convince herself that it wasn't true, and that it was all in her head. Still, no matter how hard she tried, Namine couldn't forget those words, and no matter how hard she wished it wasn't real, the reality of those words that lay in her hand.

So now we move on to part three of notes, or what I'm up to. Field experience is currently on my list of what's going on at the moment, along with college classes (yay for sophomore year!), and two part-time jobs. Luckily I'll be heading to scenarios next week (technically my third job, but it's sometimes too fun to be considered a job) and then off to a convention, where I may be able to sit on a Kingdom Hearts panel! Cross your fingers my friend doesn't fill up the seats before I get one (even though I've tempted him with a projector for the panel, which is an item we would definitely need).

So there you go. My division of acts explained, a preview of the next scene, and a bit of what I'm doing to give you an idea how much I can get into writing this musical…fansical…ficsical….what should this be called again? Well, read and review, over and out! -Nibzo